While Trying to Save Neopia
by Raye of the Sunshine
Summary: Rating just in case. Roberta is badly injured by the Black Knight, and Tor sets out to cure her. Can he do it in time? And just what do they feel for each other anyway?
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! Happy Easter to you too! -hides in corner- Please don't be angry with me. This is the first thing I've put up in a while and it isn't even the story that I'm supposed to be working on! I'm sorry about that. I'm working on said story as we speak, and hopefully I'll have a chapter to present to you all this week.

So~ About this story. I love playing The Darkest Faerie, neopets's game for the PS1 and PS2. The graphics are terrible, but I've loved it since I was in about sixth grade. This story will take many liberties with the game (distance between places for example). Please just follow along and enjoy. This story will also only be updated once a month, because I noticed I have been writing this story for months and only have two complete chapters. The next update will be told at the end of the chapter and it may in fact become sooner as I write more chapters and/or complete the story.

Neopets copyright Viacom (I believe). If I owned neopets, I'd be a liiiiittle less strict about a few things. Just a tad. And I'd add Tor and Roberta to the Gallery of Heroes!

If you steal this fanfic and submit it to the Neopian Times,_ I will hunt you down and hurt you_. Badly. I'll send the Meepits on you too.

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><p>A pitiful moan brought him to the realm of consciousness. A shriek shook off all remnants of sleep completely. Tor jumped up with his sword unsheathed, but stopped when a wail escaped Roberta's mouth. Immediately he knelt by her side and tried to think of what he could do to wake her. "Roberta?" he asked, shaking her form. She would not wake. "Roberta!" he cried, trying again.<p>

Hot tears began to slip down her blue cheeks. He put a paw to her forehead; a fever. _Did she catch a local illness? Is she having a nightmare that causes fevers?_ he wondered, shaking her again. _I've got to find help_, he decided, and swiftly pulled their things together. Once he was finished, he gathered her in his arms.

They were three days away from Market Town, and even with a Meerca speed potion, Tor knew he wouldn't make it there fast enough. _There _must_ be some place nearby,_ he thought desperately as the Acara in his arms began crying from pain. He began running in a random direction, a small light mote leading the way.

There! A glimmer of light! Tor ran for it, and as he came closer, he realized it was a manor house. It must have been a trader in Market Town that liked to have his privacy. "Please, help!" he started shouting, hoping to alert the owners awake. He collapsed at the gate, already exhausted from carrying Roberta the entire way. "Someone, help me! My companion's hurt!" he shouted, rattling the gate.

At last, the door swung open, and he saw people running towards him. "Please, help me," he called weakly, as he felt fatigue catch up with him. In the back of his mind, before he lost consciousness, he told himself he needed to train if he couldn't carry Roberta without passing out.

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><p>"What are we going to do? I don't even know what's happened to them. The girl won't wake and the boy passed out," a feminine voice muttered quietly as Tor felt himself returning to consciousness.<p>

"I checked over the girl. She has a good deal of bad injuries. Several look like sword wounds, truthfully. This Lupe here has some too, actually. It looks like one of hers is poisoned, though."

"Poison?" Tor yelped, fully awake. A soft pair of paws pushed him back down.

"Lie down. You passed out at our front gate last night; you must be terribly exhausted," the owner of those hands ordered. Tor looked up to see a pretty pink Aisha girl wearing a deep green dress. Behind her was a Shoyru dressed in a thick red coat, though it was nearing the end of summer and the weather still quite warm.

"Where am I? Where's Roberta?" he asked, unable to help himself.

"You are three or so days from Market Town, in Brightvale. If that blue Acara you came with is the one you call Roberta, she is in the room next door," the Shoyru answered. "Who are you?"

"I see. I am Tormund, though I go by Tor. I'm a knight from Meridell, Third Class." Tor felt ridiculous for saying all that and clumsily went through his title. He still wasn't quite used to introducing himself as a knight, it seemed.

"I am Lady Lily, and this is my sister, Lady Rose," the Shoyru introduced, she and her sister curtsying.

"Wait a minute…" Rose looked to Lily, a look of realization crossing her face. "Isn't Lady Roberta a blue Acara? I heard she was traveling…"

"Yes, she is—you don't mean to tell me that it's _Lady Roberta_ that's in my bedroom, crying in pain, do you?" Lily cried in shock.

They turned to Tor expectantly. "Er, yes, that is the truth. I don't know what's wrong with her, though!" he defended, lifting his paws. "She just started making pained noises last night a few hours after we had gone to sleep. Did you say she was poisoned?"

"Perhaps you had better come and see for yourself," the Aisha replied instead of properly answering him. Tor leaped out of bed and eagerly followed the pair out of the room. They led him into another chamber, this one filled with books of all sorts. By the bed was another Aisha, this one starry in color and clothed in silver. She turned her head and sighed sadly at their entrance.

"Is she any different, Violet?" Lily asked.

"No. Her fever's risen. I don't understand what kind of poison it is." She smoothed one of her extra ears down in agitation.

The three gathered around the bed next to her, gazing at the Acara in concern. Tor noticed they had removed her armor for a simple white gown and had changed the bandages on her hands. "Will she die?" he asked, frightened.

"Not if something can be done. What happened to her?" Rose asked.

"I don't know. We've been fighting an awful lot of monsters lately; it could have been a number of things."

"All right, start by explaining how she got _this_." Lily pulled Roberta's right sleeve up to reveal a nasty wound. It hadn't closed over and was festering. A dark, pulsating light seemed to dimly glow around it.

Tor's eyes widened. He _definitely_ remembered that horrible injury. The Black Knight had stabbed her in the arm, making her drop her wand momentarily. Tor recalled feeling a terrible fear that the rest of Roberta would be hurt by that same weapon. Thankfully, she hadn't been hit, choosing instead to stand back and use her other arm to fire spells. "We were fighting the Black Knight over by Market Town. His sword did this," he explained simply. "It must have been at least a week ago, maybe a few days more than that."

"She's been hiding it exceptionally well from you," Rose commented, a hint of surprise in her voice, "if you haven't noticed her in pain."

Tor opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted. "All right, so we know where the wound came from. How can we heal it?" Lily asked, getting down to business.

_If she doesn't get better, I'll be in _huge_ trouble with King Hagan,_ Tor thought. A shiver went down his spine as he imagined what the King of Brightvale could do to him.

"Sir Tor, do you have any motes on you?" Rose asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes I do. Do you think they'll help her?"

"Earth motes would help take away the poison. Light motes would help draw out the dark magic remnants. Water motes might even help cool her fever," Violet rattled off automatically, as if from a textbook. "We'll need an actual antidote, though. This is a wicked piece of work."

"I might have a book on cursed weapons," Lily offered. "Let's see if we can find something there." She stood up and began searching through the stacks of books she had.

"Sir Tor—" Rose began.

"Actually, you can just call me Tor, my lady. I'm not all that used to being spoken to with a title yet," Tor interrupted. He didn't think now was the time for formalities, either, but he wasn't going to say that to her.

She looked mildly surprised, but nodded. "All right then, Tor. Do you know how to use a wand at all?"

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "No, actually. Roberta and I decided that it would be best if she was the only one to handle the wand. Something about delicate balance and tricky magic. I taught her some sword moves, though. I didn't think it was a good idea to leave her defenseless, should something happen to her wand."

The three ladies nodded. "Do you know how to handle the motes, then? I'm assuming you do, if you have them equipped to your armor." Rose tilted her head at his royal armor he was still wearing.

"Yes. Are you saying I need to place them on her arm?"

"That is exactly what we're saying," Violet told him, her mouth smiling slightly. "Rose, perhaps you should help Lily." Her sister moved to help the other girl in the room instead of replying. The starry Aisha turned again to him. "Take out your stronger earth mote, if you have one. Don't even think of saving it for something else—Lady Roberta's life is much more important."

He gulped and did as he was told. The rock motes looked at him, as sullen as when he had picked up the first one. She guided his hands over to Roberta's arm, and helped him place the motes on it. Green light pooled over her limb as they began trying to help her recover. "Do I do the same thing with the light motes?" he asked.

"Yes. After you do that, I want you to place a weak water mote on her forehead. A fever is good for the body, but we want her to be as comfortable as we can possibly make it." She watched with a careful eye as he followed her instructions. The sun motes spun in circles before attempting to smother the dark magic. "It looks like we're going to need to do this at least twice a day," she commented after testing the wound. "This is strong dark magic. At least the earth motes seem to be helping." Violet peered over her shoulder to her sisters. "How's that search coming along?"

"We might have found something. Come and look," Lily replied.

It was then that Tor realized something as he followed the starry Aisha. He was alone with three elegant ladies who had probably never in their whole lives been without a chaperone of some sort. In addition, he came from a completely different background than they. A wave of confusion welled within him; surely they knew he was not of their class? Even if they were merely wealthy merchants and not nobles, the three of them were still in a world far from his own. _Is this how all ladies in Brightvale act?_

He looked at the book page Lily was showing them, and jolted. Illustrated on one side was the Black Knight. "How did the artist get such a good look at him?" he asked. "The Black Knight would have tried attacking him."

"Well, you see, the artist who illustrated this had very strong wings," Lily replied with a wry smile. "Anyway, it says here that his weapon is dipped with a poison and forged with evil magic. The strange thing is that the magic only affects magicians. That's probably why you're not hurt the same way she is."

Tor nodded. He had been hurt by the poison, but Roberta had easily cured him with a spell and some potions they had with them. "Hey, I have some potions she used on me. Would they help her?" he asked excitedly.

They looked at each other tensely. "Um, well, we already tried that," Rose replied quietly. "We noticed you had some in your bags, so we attempted curing her. The only thing it's done is stop the poison from spreading."

Tor's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Then what are we to do?" he pleaded. "We have an important task to finish. I can't do this alone."

"We will try healing her," Violet replied fiercely. "She is one our precious leaders, even though she is quite young. Lady Roberta is a princess in her own right."

_A _princess_? I've been traveling with a _princess_ this whole time and she never said anything?_ Tor thought. He felt as if his brain died and was trying to revive itself. Except… _Maybe she did tell me, I just didn't think she was telling me._ Roberta told him once that her uncle was the King of Brightvale—something he knew very well. Since King Skarl was King Hagan's brother, adding the new information from Lady Violet, it must be that King Skarl was also her uncle. Tor knew King Skarl had no heirs of his own, so it meant that Roberta was, in fact, a princess as his heiress.

And yet… she was willing to travel with him, talk with him, do everything with him? _Brightvale must really produce the best neopets in the world_, he thought. "How shall we begin, then?" he asked.

"Head to Market Town and talk to a pharmacist. We'll take a sample of her blood with us so he might determine the source of the poison. If that doesn't work, we'll retrieve the Black Knight's sword and see if we can find the poison," Rose replied.

"But, who's going to look after Roberta? We can't take her with us."

"Our brother will," Lily answered with a smile. "He'll be home tonight, so we can depart tomorrow morning."

"Will he approve of me, a complete stranger, traveling with you young ladies?" Tor asked, a little nervous. He was only sixteen and he didn't want to get in trouble with the nobles already.

Violet giggled. "Our dear little brother is about your age, Tor. He'll be glad to look after Lady Roberta and so long as you're helping, he'll overlook the fact that he doesn't know you."

"Who knows?" Lily said cheerfully. "He might end up befriending you."

Tor sincerely hoped they were right.

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><p>Does this look interesting? See you next month~ The update will be <strong>May 25th<strong>.

Oh, and yeah, the pets that he meets are in fact based upon mine. I have two Aishas, a Shoyru, and a Kougra (the brother) on my main account. The intention was a Royal Girl Aisha, a Starry Aisha, and a Christmas Shoyru, but I had to rearrange things.

Please take the time to review! I would love to hear what you think. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! School's finally over and I'm free for a whole week! Yay! I have summer school, so, yeah.

I forgot to say this last chapter. The max this story can be is 12 chapters and the full title for this is _An Adventure Involoving a Cure While Trying to Save Neopia_. Too long everywhere! :P

I would have updated sooner, but we had tornado warnings today and cleaning to do. Oh well. Enjoy!

If I owned neopets, I would make the plushies easier to find than ebay. ):

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><p>Gentian sighed happily as he saw the gates to his house swing open. Finally, after two weeks of trading in Market Town, he was home. His sisters would tease him and ask to hear stories, and he would be where he belonged. He looked forward to staying in his own house for a couple of months before heading back.<p>

He climbed out of the carriage and headed into his manor, nodding to his servants as he saw them. "Where are my sisters?" he asked a Wocky maid.

"They're upstairs in their rooms, my lord," she replied, and hurried away to her duties.

He grinned, and went up the stairs as stealthily as his red Kougra paws could take him. They usually gathered in Rose's room, and upon arriving at her door he flung it open. His sisters looked up and squealed in delight upon seeing him, rushing him and hugging him. "I missed you three too," he purred, trying to hug all three at once.

"We have something to tell you," Lily told him. Her voice was serious, which made Gentian worry.

"Is something wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

Violet took his paw and led him to the sofa. Seated in the armchair next to it was a Lupe, a knight by his armor. "Tor will tell you," she replied, gesturing to the Lupe.

Gentian turned his head sharply as his other sisters sat in other chairs. "Why are you alone with him?" he growled. His sisters may have been at least three years older than him, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about them when he wasn't home. Actually, he worried about them when he was home too. He promised himself that they would never want after the death of their father the year before from an illness. Their mother had died from a similar illness ten years earlier. He had to be the head of the family and take care of his sisters.

"Gentian, if you try being older than you are you will not be allowed to go back to Market Town," Rose commanded. "Leave the poor boy alone."

"Sir, I don't mean harm," Tor insisted nervously. "I ran to this house in the middle of the night last night because my companion is badly injured."

"Violet and Rose should have cured your companion by now," Gentian commented, feeling very much out of the loop. His Aisha sisters were quite good at healing, and he supposed it had to do with being more attuned to magic.

"Gentian," Rose said gently, "the girl he brought—Lady Roberta, I might add—is poisoned. That's why he's still here, because we don't know how to cure it, only prevent it from spreading. We wanted to explain the situation to you."

Gentian felt his heart drop to his stomach. Lady Roberta, hurt? "Then we must take her to Market Town!" he declared, jumping to his feet. "Right this minute! In fact, you should have set off a lot sooner."

"There you go again, letting your emotions get the best of you," Lily chided. "Lady Roberta needs to stay here, where she is safe and where she can rest. There's no way she's going to get any better being dragged across the countryside. We will go with Tor to Market Town tomorrow morning, and you will look after Lady Roberta. Who knows? She might wake up at some point while we're gone."

"If you decided all this, why did you wait? You could have left me a note."

"We wanted to make sure you were all right," Violet answered, patting his shoulder. "We wanted to let you know _we_ were all right." Everyone in the room turned their heads to the window, where they saw the purple clouds on the reddening horizon. "Those clouds are evil."

"How are you going to get to Market Town?" Gentian asked, turning to Tor. "I want the details before I think of allowing my sisters to leave."

Lily smiled, as did the other two. She answered instead of Tor. "We'll travel in more suitable clothes, of course. Tor says that the roads are not safe unless you don't look like much."

"We'll bring potions along to protect ourselves," Rose added. "And remember, we know a thing or two about magic."

"Plus, we'll have Tor protecting us," Violet put in. "The plan is, once we get to Market Town, we're going to The Bubbling Cauldron to see if the owner can identify the poison. We'll bring a sample with us." She didn't explain what the sample would be, but Gentian could guess what it was.

"We also plan on retrieving the sword," added Lily. "If the potions' shop owner can't determine what it is, maybe Rose and Violet can with the sword."

"How am I supposed to take care of Lady Roberta? I can't do magic," Gentian said. "Wouldn't it be better if I went with you?"

"You can do what we have begun to do," Lily replied calmly. "We've been using motes to keep the poison in check."

Seeing her brother open his mouth, Rose quickly nodded. "We have a supply of motes in the cellar, don't worry."

He considered his sisters' words. They would travel by foot in simple clothes with a small sample for the shop owner to look at. They would try to get the sword if that didn't work. His sisters would only be protected by a knight who came from Meridell and one he didn't know on top of that. "How long do you think you're going to be gone?" Gentian asked.

"Two weeks and we should be home," Violet replied. "It takes about three days to get there, as you know. A week should be long enough for the sample to be tested. I think that during that time we'll go searching for the sword. That way, we won't be pressured and we can take our time."

"Then, it'll take three days to come back," Tor finished, saying something for the first time in fifteen minutes. "We'll have the extra few days in case something happens, though I think that we'll make it back sooner than two weeks."

"The sooner the better," Gentian agreed. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to trust the yellow Lupe, though he did seem sincere. Why was Lady Roberta traveling with a Meridellian knight anyway? He studied the knight before him.

A sudden jerk passed through him as a switch flipped in his mind. "I remember you!" he cried, looking at Tor more closely. "Yes, I remember seeing you leave the town with Lady Roberta, though I didn't know it was her from so far away."

Tor jumped at the unexpected exclamation and his hand strayed to where his sword usually would have been. "Yes," he mumbled, drawing his hand away. "But I'm afraid we were too busy thinking of what we were going to do next that I don't remember you."

"If you can save Market Town, I think you can keep my sisters safe. But I warn you, if they end up with the same injuries as Lady Roberta, you're in deep trouble." Gentian curled his lip to reveal his sharp fangs in hopes to intimidate Tor.

"I promise, on my honor as a knight, I'll keep them safe," Tor replied, nodding seriously. "If you'll excuse me? I'm going to look after Roberta now." He bowed and left the room.

"He's a good person, really," Rose said softly. "You should see the way he looks at Lady Roberta, like she's all he has left in the world."

"For all he knows, she could be his only friend alive," Lily commented. "From what he said, things aren't very safe back home either."

"I want to see how he looks at her," Gentian declared. Their words were making him curious. His sisters looked at each other, sighed, and nodded in agreement.

"She's in Lily's room. Open the door _quietly_ Gentian," Violet told him.

He nodded. "I know."

He left the room to hear his sisters mutter good night to each other and once he was down the hall a ways he heard the door open again. Lily was probably going to stay in a guest room, he surmised. Reaching said sister's door, he paused for a moment. Those clouds were evil, and they were going to go wander about the countryside? It was evil, wrong, and he didn't want to let them go. But Lady Roberta needed them to, he remembered. Carefully, quietly, he opened the door and peeked inside.

The knight sat with his back to him, and if he knew Gentian was there, he didn't show it. Tor had one paw wrapped around Roberta's. "Oh, Roberta, please get better soon. Please. You've got to. I haven't had anyone close to me die before. Actually, I've never known anyone that died. I can't do this big mission by myself. You really scared me last night, you know that? I miss you so much already." His words were meandering and crossing over each other, as if he was trying to keep himself from thinking about something.

Gentian felt as if he were interrupting something private. Yet, he couldn't help himself: he wanted to stay and listen to Tor. "Roberta, did you know that my farming community doesn't have any girls my age? You're the first I know that's my age. It's really… different. And I'm sure it's different for you too, I mean, you've been stuck doing diplomatic things all your life. I doubt you really interacted with anyone our age." Tor fell silent for a while, and Gentian was about to leave when he spoke again. "Roberta, if you wake up soon, I've got something to tell you. I want to see your face and hear your reaction rather than just tell you now. But… I think you'll like it." He stood up, and Gentian quickly, but again quietly, opened the door, ready to make his escape before Tor saw him. "Good night, Roberta."

Just before he shut the door behind him, Gentian saw Tor kiss Roberta's paw.

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><p>I <em>am<em> trying to submit this to the Neopian Times. Give me your critique, please! I really like this story and it's supposed to only have a hint of romance. Obviously I'll edit it even further to downplay feelings and stuff, but if something seems like too much for TNT, tell me so I can change it. :)

Next update is **June 16th.** See you then!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I know I'm early, but I'm going on a trip tomorrow. So enjoy the chapter!

I don't own neopets. If I did, I would change how the new Royal Girl Aisha looks.

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><p>"Whatever happens, <em>don't<em> take off the necklace," Tor told Gentian as they prepared to leave the next morning. "It's important. Vitally important, I might add."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gentian saw his sisters. Violet, Rose, and Lily were dressed in peasant clothes that they borrowed from their servants. Each was equipped with a dagger and a simple wand, along with a pack of supplies. Six days of travel through open land that was all. Gentian didn't need to worry. He kept telling himself it was only natural for him to be concerned for his sisters. "I understand," he replied to Tor, looking back at him. "You keep my sisters safe and I will look after Lady Roberta. Mote treatment twice a day, I remember."

Tor clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a good brother, you know that? I've got a little sister back home and she's always a handful. I can only imagine what it must be like to have _three_ older sisters."

Gentian smiled for the first time at Tor. "I know I'm very lucky to have them. Now go on; Lady Roberta needs you to come back as soon as possible."

Tor felt a bit of heat rise in his cheeks, but he nodded again and headed out with the three young women following him in a diamond formation. It would be easier to get spotted with the four of them; however, since they were in Brightvale and the purple clouds were now only hovering over Meridell, Tor expected smooth sailing into Market Town. He thanked his lucky stars that they had tried going to Bogshot first; if they had still needed to save the town while Roberta was hurt, more than likely they would not have been able to keep Brightvale from being run over by the clouds before long. He wondered what kind of effect it could have taken over the girls with him. Magic users were still prone to whatever the purple clouds did as Roberta had told him about her teacher still in Faerieland. Would the girls try to fight the clouds, now that they knew they were evil, or would they simply be overcome and force him to flee?

Tor shook his head to clear it of those thoughts. They weren't going to get into any such trouble, because they were going to stay in Brightvale. Hopefully the antidote didn't require anything from Meridell. If it did, he'd have to go alone as it was too much to risk the three ladies' sanity for his friend. Besides, Lord Gentian would forbid it.

After about an hour of rhythmic walking, Rose decided to break the silence. "Exactly how old are you, Tor?"

"Sixteen," Tor answered promptly. His birthday happened before planting season. "I was a squire for only about a month."

"You're very lucky. What was it that you did to earn your knighthood so fast?" Lily asked, impressed. Tor had a feeling that out of the three sisters, Lily was the one most likely to wield a sword. He wouldn't say she was the leader, though. Tor knew that the leader was unquestionably Rose. She may have been the smallest but the other two (and Gentian) obeyed her. He didn't know if she was the oldest or not, just that she was the unofficial head of their family. Tor wondered if it would be polite to ask. What would Roberta do, if she was in his place? How would she ask? Diplomats had a harder job than he originally thought.

"I saved the village of Cogham all on my own. I was supposed to wait for the knight I was serving, but he was content to eat a huge breakfast before riding out to help the poor villagers."

"I hear they're always under attack," Violet commented.

"Yeah, I heard that too. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't help them any less." He took a look around him to make sure no one was in the vicinity. Nope, just open countryside. Not a single animate object in sight.

"That's exactly right Tor. And it's good that you know that," Rose told him. "Still, a whole village all on your own… that's impressive."

Tor scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, well…"

Lily smirked wickedly. "Got a girlfriend back home on the farm?" she asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"What?" Tor yelped, spinning around to face the three of them. Each one had a sly grin on her face. "No," he said, his fur turning hot. "I don't. There isn't even a girl that's close to my age."

"That's disappointing," Violet pouted. "I suppose it's a good thing that you became a knight. I'm sure there is a girl in the city that you'll love instead."

Tor felt extremely embarrassed by the conversation. "Well, what about you ladies? Do you have any suitors to speak of?"

"We do, but since we don't live in town we don't see much of them. Or anyone, as a matter of fact," Rose replied. "I suppose that's why we didn't know it was Lady Roberta at first."

"Is she not very recognizable?" Tor asked. "I did find it a little strange that you didn't know it was her."

"Lady Roberta may have been raised to be a diplomat, but it's only been recently that she's been allowed to do anything of importance. Prior to a few months ago, she was rarely seen at all," Rose explained. "She did a lot of observing and studying before her first diplomatic mission. I think it was one to Meridell six months ago." Her sisters confirmed her supposition with nods.

"I just missed her, then," Tor whispered seemingly to himself, but Violet and Rose heard him with their acute Aisha ears.

"Do you like Lady Roberta?" Violet asked kindly.

"She's a really good friend," Tor answered quickly, almost too quickly. "Roberta's practically the only friend I've ever had."

They smiled but let it drop. The group continued on in silence again, focusing on making it to Market Town. The girls were surprisingly cheerful at walking such a long distance, Tor mused. Perhaps they went on long walks a lot. Maybe the idea of an adventure was causing them to ignore muscle strain. Or maybe they were just smart enough not to complain. Whatever it was, Tor was impressed.

He called a halt as the sun went down several hours later. "Does it look like rain?" he asked, looking at the sky. A few clouds skimmed by, but he had never been able to tell what the weather would be like. His father had tried teaching him, but Tor just couldn't understand the subtle differences. Dark clouds were obviously storms, and temperature was easy, but if neither was obvious, he couldn't tell.

Rose and Violet twitched their ears a few times, testing the atmosphere. "Not that I can tell, though it may rain tomorrow," Rose finally stated. "We can sleep without a tent tonight."

"I've always wanted to sleep under the stars," Violet said quietly, following the others as they stepped off the road a ways towards some trees.

"Lady Violet?" Tor asked suddenly, realizing a question he had been dying to know for a very long time.

"Yes? Is there something I can help you with? I am sure you can set up a fire better than we can," she laughed.

"Well, no, that's not it," he said, setting up firewood. "I've always wanted to know this, and it's a bit of a myth where I come from… but can you glow in the dark?"

"It is because I'm starry that you ask?" she inquired, but she didn't sound offended. Yet, anyways. Or maybe she was just hiding it very well.

Tor didn't answer immediately, a little shamefaced. "Yeah," he replied at last.

"I can if I want to," she told him. "Watch." She closed her eyes in concentration.

"I love it when she glows," Lily whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Violet opened one of her eyes and smiled at her sister. She closed it again and after a minute, she changed.

Tor openly gaped. Violet's stars were _glowing_. They were shining and twinkling just like the real stars in the sky. "How are you doing that?" he asked, awestruck.

"I'm making the magic in me cause the stars to shine. I'm concentrating on directing the magic into the stars, and they glow. I can make them move, if I want to," she explained. Violet fell silent, and after another minute, something else happened. This time, the stars were moving. They danced across her face and her paws, disappearing and appearing from her clothes and hair. She looked like the night sky above, except the stars were easier to see.

"I think you look beautiful," Tor told her. "I've never seen anything like it."

Violet blushed visibly through the stars on her cheeks glowing brighter. "Thank you." Slowly the stars dimmed and stopped dancing. They did not, however, return to their original places. Violet saw the question forming on Tor's mouth and quickly explained, "I can make my stars go wherever I want. When I stop the magic, they stay where they are, in the position they're in. It's a nice perk."

"Does that answer your questions about starry neopets?" Lily teased, Rose and her testing the soup they had been making while Violet was putting on her light show.

"And then some," he answered, looking up. "I suppose we'll need to set up night shifts."

"Of course we will. I'll take first watch," Rose said, deciding that the soup was ready.

"I'll have middle," Tor volunteered.

"I'll have last," Lily said firmly. "You can take a shift tomorrow, Violet." She ladled soup into the bowls they brought with them.

"I see. Well, in that case, I'll go to bed whenever the others do." She took her bowl and began eating the simple meal. Tor passed out some peachpas he had with him as dessert.

Once Rose had set her bowl down, she looked at Tor. As she did so, her sisters put their bowls on their laps as well. He realized that whatever Rose did, they usually followed suit. Rose opened her mouth and asked, "Tor, why are you travelling with Lady Roberta? I know you have some task to do, but how on earth did you meet?"

_This must have been bothering all three of them, and Gentian,_ Tor thought. He wondered how much he could reveal about their mission, and what Roberta would do. Would they even believe what he said? _They have to. They trust me to protect them, after all. I mean, why would they go on a quest with a random stranger if they didn't trust me?_ "I'll tell you what I can, Lady Rose, but I'm not sure what I'm willing to share is good enough for you." _Actually, why does it have to be so secret?_ he pondered. _Perhaps it's because we don't know whether or not those clouds will come back. Actually, I think it's because we've been leaving the towns we've saved right away. And the less people that know, the better. In this case, however, they have joined my traveling party. They ought to know what's up with our mission. I'll start out slow._

"We understand you want to keep the mission secret," Violet said hesitantly. "But we still want to know what you _can_ tell us."

"All right," Tor replied slowly, gathering his thoughts. "First, I'll answer how I met Roberta." He noticed their looks at his lack of a title, but Roberta never insisted on formalities. In his mind, she was just Roberta. It kept certain facts of their lives out of his head. "I was floating along on a plank of wood, exhausted and nearing a beach, when I heard screams from above. I reached the beach and looked up to see a blue Acara falling and screaming. I tried catching her, but she landed on me and her wand fell nearby. We got to our feet and made introductions.

"I honestly thought we were going to go our separate ways when she noticed my amulet." He held up the amulet an old beggar had given him right after he left home for Meridell. "She told me she had been given the task to find the owner of the 'other' amulet—basically, me." He dropped the amulet against his armor. "We couldn't really talk much after that, because we had been attacked by monsters."

"Monsters?" Lily asked in surprise. "You mean, like those ugly things that were near our house?"

"I'm sure they were the same, although they disappeared from Brightvale once we pushed back the purple clouds." He took a breath and continued. "We headed towards the castle and after we were tasked with figuring out a way to get rid of the purple clouds, we left."

"So your mission is to destroy the clouds?" Rose asked.

"Not entirely, my lady." He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about the Darkest Faerie, but when she asked her next question, he realized he was going to have to anyway.

"Why were you floating towards Brightvale? What happened in Meridell?" she looked right into his eyes. Her voice wasn't demanding, but it didn't expect an evasive answer.

"Something very, very bad happened, my lady. A dark faerie, the darkest, most evil you've ever seen, took over the castle. I barely escaped with my life." He paused, and looked at them. "You may not realize it, but you were probably possessed by her when her clouds were still over Market Town."

"No, it makes sense," Rose said. "My memory is hazy of the past week or two, and I vaguely remember voices in my head."

"Voices?" Tor asked. He was rather curious about the effects the clouds had on other neopets.

"They told us to do things, to become angry," Lily stated, gazing at the fire. "None of us could resist. We didn't know what was happening."

"It felt completely natural to behave the way we did," Violet put in quietly. "Then, our memories and minds cleared, and we looked outside to see the road free of monsters and the sky clear of purple clouds."

"So that's how it is… I _have_ been curious about what's it's like to be under their influence."

"Why was she falling?" Lily asked abruptly. "I mean, didn't Lady Roberta have an escort with her? She wouldn't have gone to Faerieland—because, really, how else would she have fallen from such a height?—without someone with her."

"She told me that the cloud had literally knocked her off the Uni she had been trying to escape with," Tor replied, remembering the puzzled expression on Roberta's face.

A wave of loneliness swept over him as he remembered Roberta's face. Her presence had accompanied him for a month already, and now that she was suddenly gone he felt unbalanced. Roberta's face appeared in his mind's eye, smiling at him, wind tugging at her black, curly hair. Tor shook his head, moving the image aside. "If she's really a princess, how come you refer to her as 'Lady Roberta' instead of 'Princess Roberta'?"

"She is not yet a crowned princess," Rose replied cheerfully. "She'll be one when King Skarl crowns her. And you of all people would know how long that'll take. It's in his will that she will rule the kingdom after him, should he never get around to it."

"I don't think she'll want to be called 'Princess Roberta' even _after_ she gets crowned," Lily laughed, setting her bed roll by the fire. The others set theirs in a circle around it as well, and sat onto them.

"Tor?" Violet asked quietly. "How did Lady Roberta and you get so many sword wounds, when only one of hers is poisoned? We meant to ask you earlier, but…" she trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"Well, it's simple. The Black Knight had some Dark Knight minions. I guess their swords weren't dipped in a poison. And he only managed to hurt her once." He remembered back to the questions he had overheard as he first became conscious at their manor. "I guess I explained why I'm here in Brightvale. We were going to head to Werelupe Woods and get an important item that was stolen, but then she got sick." His face fell visibly, and Violet patted his paw comfortingly.

"I guess being away from her like this is hard, isn't it?" Rose guessed.

"Yeah, I mean, we've been nearly inseparable for weeks and now she's suddenly gone. I suppose it'll happen when this whole adventure is over, but I don't think we have the time to really sit and think about what's going to happen once we go back home."

"Will you go back to your farm or back to the castle?" Violet asked sleepily.

"I'll visit my family when I get the chance, but I think as a knight, I need to go to the castle first." Tor was feeling tired himself, and they all decided to get some sleep. Rose would wake Tor up for middle watch when it was his turn.

The last image Tor remembered before falling asleep was Rose gazing thoughtfully into the fire.

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><p>This seemed a good place as any to stop. :P As always, please give your input. I know that I may have to edit the part where the girls tease Tor about Roberta, but as always, I want to make it innocent.<p>

Another thing. Tor and Roberta never necessarily kept their mission a secret. King Hagan knows, after all. I figure that in the game, no one really cares that Tor is from Meridell. Actually, after a change in armor, no one would be able to know. And Roberta probably doesn't get out much, so people probably don't immediately know it's her. :P Hope my explanations were good enough. If not, ask questions!

Next update will hopefully be **July 11th.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone! Today is a special day: it's my best friend's birthday. He doesn't know this story exists, nor does he probably care, but I'm still putting this up in honor of him. So, happy birthday!

I don't own neopets. If I did, I would still have the Lisha and Jeran Plushie Set available in the Hidden Tower. D:

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><p>After his sisters and their companion were mere dots on the horizon, Gentian headed back into the house. Mote treatment happened to be his sisters' favorite kind, so he knew what he was doing when he headed into Lily's room to administer said treatment on Lady Roberta's arm.<p>

He checked her forehead and sighed with relief when he felt her temperature near normal. Heat was still there, but it was less. He hoped she would wake up and talk to him, at least a little. Perhaps he should wake her up to make her eat something. Having nutrition would help her fight off the poison, even if it happened to be of the magical variety.

Gently he brought his paws, infused with mote magic, onto her wound. She whimpered at the contact, but he ignored it and pressed the motes over her injury. Once he was finished, he sat back and watched to be sure nothing strange happened. What sort of strange, he didn't know, but he decided it was a good idea to be sure the treatment didn't hurt her worse. He doubted it would; after all, his sisters would know if the treatment had the potential to harm her.

To his surprise, her eyes did open. She looked at him, confusion crossing her face. "Tor?" she asked, her voice raspy.

"No, I'm Gentian," he corrected softly. "My lady, please eat something." On her bedside lay a covered tray. He opened it to find hot broth in a bowl with a cup near it. Gentian brought a small cupful to the bed and offered it to her.

Roberta shied away from it. "No, no poison," she insisted. "Tor, where is Tor?"

"Tor's not here right now," Gentian replied gently. He needed to be careful; otherwise her condition could get worse. "It isn't poison. It's broth. It'll make you feel better, at least a little. Please, eat a tiny bit. Just a few mouthfuls," he coaxed.

She was too weak to resist, and he could tell her consciousness was slipping. Quickly he spooned a little of the broth into her mouth, which she dutifully drank. After only four spoonfuls, she sank into the pillows, once more asleep or passed out. Gentian sighed and poured the remaining contents back into the bowl they came from, covering it again and sitting back into the chair. He'd watch for a while longer before heading off to do his paperwork. His sisters ran the house very well in his absence, making him grateful for the minimal amount of work he actually had to do when he got home.

Roberta looked a little better, but the dark magic still subsisted in her arm. Gentian sighed; he knew that more than likely, it would take a miracle for just the motes to cure her. "Sleep well, Lady Roberta," he said, and left the room. Instead of going toward his office, however, he made a split-second decision and went to his library. He knew his sisters looked through some of Lily's books to find an antidote, but he wanted to help as well. _Every poison has an antidote, _he thought. _I just have to help find this one._ He pulled down several magic books and began leafing through them.

Brightvale prided itself for its magnificent libraries, not just in the castle but in the homes of the people. Everyone had at least one book; even the peasants. Everyone knew how to read and most knew how to write. Gentian's family had a fairly impressive library, the work of several generations. They organized it by genre and alphabetized from there, and took very good care of their library. He may just be able to find an antidote somewhere in one of the books.

His search took him three days. The third day, as he opened a book on generic antidotes, a yellowed sheet of paper slipped out and fell to the floor. It was tattered, definitely not from a book from _their_ library. Gentian leaned down and picked it up, studying it closer. It was part of a journal, or maybe a letter.

_I have been fortunate. I have broken down the poison on the blade of the Black Knight, after extracting the poison from one of his unfortunate victims. It's a complicated mixture, but the antidote is worth it, what with my family full of magicians living so close to Market Town._

_A common cure to poison is a baggus plant. That is part of this antidote, but it is not all of it. Most of the ingredients grow in Bogshot and its surrounding swamps. The necessary ingredients are as follows: 3 oozing tulips, 1 purple frillix, 5 red walking flowers, 7 bagguses, and 4 blue health mushrooms. I only hope that such an antidote isn't necessary, but once all the ingredients are found, chop and stir together in a hot broth for a week. During the week with the full moon is the most potent cure, but it works well when brewed in any week._

_I pray it will never be needed, but I will place these instructions in a book on antidotes in my library._

Gentian stared at the note. He had found it! He could call his sisters back and he could go to Bogshot instead of them! Their journey was pointless now that he had the antidote in his hands. He got up and headed towards the door to the library.

_Wait_, he paused. _They're three days' distance ahead of me. It's too much of a journey to travel to Market Town myself. I might as well wait and plan._ He sat back at the table and pulled a sheet of parchment in front of him, along with a quill and inkwell. "First," he began, dipping the quill into the ink, "we need to speak with the residents of Bogshot about the location of the ingredients." He briefly wondered if the town was healthy enough to enter—he remembered hearing about a plague running through the town while trading in Market Town. Gentian considered travelling there while his sisters were away. It took five days to get there, however, and he wanted to be home when they returned. In addition, he needed to stay behind and treat Lady Roberta. Therefore, travelling to Bogshot was out of the question while they were gone.

Roberta stayed awake for minutes at a time, and she seemed more coherent. At least, that was the previous day. Today, she suffered from a massive fever again, and Gentian feared for her life—he ordered one of his Kau maids to watch over her until he came back for treatment. It wouldn't do to have her die on his watch.

Gentian forced his thoughts to return to the parchment in front of him. "Second," he continued, "we must find the ingredients." He paused, and then added, "Also, discuss who will be finding the ingredients and who will be watching over Lady Roberta." He thought it would be best for his sisters to stay behind and look after the blue Acara while he and the knight went off to Bogshot. After all, they were better magic users than he and while they might agree to walk to Market Town, Gentian didn't truly believe that his sisters would be willing to wade through a swamp. They might try to put aside their disgust, but why not save them the trouble? While he did not particularly relish in the thought of wading through a swamp either, he still remembered his childhood days of frolicking through the woods and coming home covered in mud. He chuckled at the memory. His sisters would always scold him, followed by his mother ordering him to clean himself.

Gentian shook his head. He didn't have the time to be reminiscing. Carefully, he folded the parchment and the note with the antidote on it and slipped them into his pocket, putting the books away and heading out of the library. He decided to begin searching through his closet for suitable clothes and definitely some boots. Then he would return to Lady Roberta's bedside for her treatment. With purpose, he strode into his room to begin packing.

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><p>Her fever had indeed gone down, but it didn't seem likely that she would wake up. Gentian considered it a miracle that she had already woken up several times since he had begun treating her a few days ago, and admired her strength in fighting off the poison that was threatening to spread.<p>

His sisters had explained to him about how they had stopped the poison from spreading, but he discovered that the potion had to be reapplied every day. After the first night with his sisters on their journey, Gentian had found that the poison had expanded at least three inches. Worried and trying very hard not to panic, he forced another potion down her throat as soon as he finished the mote treatment. Today, it was not much better as it had not remained completely contained, but not nearly as alarming as three inches. Gentian prayed that the poison would not reach her vitals. If only Violet or Rose was here to do this instead!

Worrying would do him no good, he decided. Once more he placed mote-infused paws on her wound and willed the motes to destroy the poison and heal her. Perhaps he should learn some healing magic—he regretted not taking magic lessons when he had the chance. _Maybe if I knew any magic at all, I could help her more._

Treatment completed, he sat into the chair and held her paw. Maybe if she knew a comforting presence was around, she would recover faster. "I don't know what you're up to, Lady Roberta, but I want you to get better," he told her. "I dislike worrying this much and not knowing what I'm doing. And I most certainly don't know what I'm doing, trying to heal you without any real knowledge."

Roberta smiled in her sleep and visibly relaxed. She shifted, and grasped his paw tighter. He took that as a good sign and felt his lips curl upwards. For now, he'd let himself relax and worry about everything else in the morning.

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><p>A relatively short chapter, and I apologize. It was a bit difficult to write and finish, so I decided to stop it here. So, we've found the antidote, now to gather everyone back together and head out on this journey!<br>Thoughts? Questions? Review, please! :D

Next update will be **August 27th.** Till then guys!


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone! Oh gosh, this is almost late! Sorry about that. My internet has been acting up on me all day, but I doubt it'll happen again any time soon. (:  
>By the way, I'm a senior in high school now. I'm glad I made this update only once a month, because I doubt I'd be able to keep up with my homework and college apps and stuff all at the same time.<p>

Enjoy! Disclaimer applies. If I owned neopets, I would make a plot where a Shoyru is the main character (because Shoyrus are the most popular pet after all!).

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><p>Upon reaching Market Town, Rose led the group to an inn and requested two rooms. They were immediately granted as their family happened to be quite well known to the innkeepers. After they placed their bags into their rooms and changed into something clean, they gathered at a table to discuss what to do next.<p>

"I think we should immediately go to the Bubbling Cauldron," Lily suggested. "We can get that part out of the way and begin searching for the sword."

"Hopefully no one's taken the sword," Tor commented. "It would be dangerous if left lying about, yes, but imagine if someone knew whose sword it was, and a little of what it could do. Magic users wouldn't stand much of a chance if we can't find the antidote." Somehow, he looked pale under his fur at the thought. _No!_ his mind cried. _We _will_ find that antidote!_

"You have a point, Tor, and one that I don't like," Rose replied, frowning. "I suppose that fear of the Black Knight has kept the citizens away, but we don't know how long it's going to be before they start rebuilding his keep and stationing their own knights there."

"I can take the sample," Violet offered. "The three of you can go look for the sword. I'll catch up with you. I know the way there."

"I know you can take care of yourself, Violet, but I don't want you attempting to enter the keep on your own," Rose told her. "I mean, what if it's dangerous? What if you get hurt by a falling stone or something and we can't find you in time to help you?"

"Oh, Rose," Violet sighed.

Tor watched the exchange. He, too, was concerned, but he knew better than to try and interfere. He would have liked to stay behind and escort her to the keep, but he needed to guide the others inside to where he had fought the Black Knight.

"I'll go with you," Lily suggested. "That way, if we get into any trouble, I can fly us out or I can fly to find the others."

"I suppose so," Violet agreed. "Let's get going, shall we? I will need the sample from you, Rose." Her voice indicated her slight displeasure, but at least she understood that she was better off with her sister than alone. The girls rose, followed a heartbeat later by Tor, and went to their rooms to retrieve their packs (as they had emptied them of the extra clothes and shoes). Rose handed Violet the small vial she had been carrying and, with one last hug for both her and Lily, separated with Tor to head for the Black Knight's Keep.

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><p>Violet led the way as she and Lily weaved their way through the crowds and the alleyways of Market Town. Finally reaching the Bubbling Cauldron, they stepped inside after the starry Aisha made sure she had the vial of Roberta's blood in her pocket. It hadn't been very pleasant, but eventually it had been done. Lily offered to do it, since neither Rose nor Violet could bring themselves to.<p>

"Hello, my ladies. What can I do for you today?" the small Kacheek owner appeared in front of them, bowing delightedly.

"We have something for you to dissect," Violet began, pulling out the glass tube. "There is poison in this blood. We need you to figure out what the poison is." She placed it in his hands.  
>"If you can discover the ingredients to the poison within a week, you will be paid, and generously. If you cannot, you will get nothing," Lily told him. "I would get to work as soon as possible." Her voice left no room for argument.<p>

"You drive a hard bargain, my ladies. I shall do what I can." He bowed and watched them leave with a swish of their skirts.

"I wish we could have said that differently," Violet said quietly.

Lily shrugged. "We need him to understand that it's important without telling him whose blood it is. We definitely can't have anyone knowing who is staying at our manor. It could mean a lot of trouble. And by trouble, I mean that enemies of the crown may come to harm her."

All of Violet's ears shot up straight, and then laid against her head in agitation. The thought of her princess in such a situation troubled her, and she felt glad that her sister had gone with her. She never would have asked, no, _commanded_ the shop owner to work so quickly. "Let's go," she mumbled, quickening her pace.

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><p>Tor and Rose stared up at the broken doors leading into the keep. The journey there was safe and uneventful, unlike the last time. "How did you get in?" Rose asked. "I doubt you moved through these."<p>

"We climbed the vines," Tor pointed, trailing his finger upward. "But I don't think it would be a good idea now."

"Why not?" Rose asked.

"Have you ever even climbed a tree?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her pink cheeks darkened as she looked away. "No, I have not. I suppose this shouldn't be the time to try."

Tor gazed at the door. His face brightened as he thought of something. "Could you put a spell on my arms to make them stronger? Maybe I could shove one of them aside with extra strength."

"Didn't you try that the first time?" Rose asked, but lifted her paws, preparing to cast a strengthening spell.

"Roberta didn't know how, and we saw the vines. Apparently Roberta is quite a climber," he chuckled.

Rose smiled, closed her eyes, and began chanting. Tor felt power flow through his arms, watching them begin to glow red. He looked at the pink Aisha, questioning, who nodded. Taking that as a signal to begin, he started to shove the door on the right aside.

It groaned, not wishing to budge, but Tor forced it to move. Slowly at first, but it became faster once it started. After five minutes of shoving the giant door, Tor had created enough space for a Skeith to walk through.

Rose finished chanting, and the glowing dimmed as the Lupe felt the power recede. "Good job, Tor," she praised, and gestured for him to lead. Once inside the keep, she drew herself closer to him, wary of their surroundings. "Are you _certain_ that no one is here?"

"I haven't been here for a week at least," Tor stated. "No one was here when we left Market Town, my lady." He sighed, and patted her back the way he would comfort Lucy back home. "Let's get the sword, okay? I'll defend us if we meet anyone here."

Rose seemed calmed, and stepped slightly away from Tor, not as frightened. "Right. Where did you fight the Black Knight?"

"On one of the upper floors. Maybe second or third—we were in a bit of a hurry at the time. Roberta and I didn't want to be found out by the enemies. We also had to run when they found us." He remembered running as fast as possible, dodging balls of energy or swords, hoping to escape. Tor shook his head, mentally shoving the memories aside. "Come on. I think I know the way."

"You _think_?" Rose questioned. "I understand that you were focusing on other things at the time, but it shouldn't be that hard, should it?"

"Well, no, but you see, my lady…" Tor trailed off, scratching his ears in embarrassment. "We practically ran an obstacle course to get into the castle. If we go through the front door, I'm unsure of how much time it'll take to reach the upper floors."

"We have a week, Tor. I think it would be a miracle to get everything accomplished on the first day." They found themselves standing at the doors that actually led into the castle. "Do you think that the Black Knight had an antidote? Or maybe even records on how he made his poison?"

Tor looked at her. "Well, he didn't really have a body, as he kinda exploded once we beat him, and he didn't strike me as the type to care if his allies were injured by his weapon. The Dark Knights he had with him simply vanished—I suppose they didn't have bodies either, and were connected to his magic in some way."

"You didn't quite answer my question."

"I'm not sure. Maybe if we found some kind of personal space for him, we'd know. But we want the sword first."

"All right. Lead the way. Let's start this wild goose chase."

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><p>By the time Lily and Violet had found Rose and Tor, the sun was beginning to set. The two sisters had spent several hours attempting to find the other two, after taking half an hour to reach the keep. Shouts were heard all over the keep as both groups attempted to find on another. Seeing as the party arrived in Market Town sometime shortly after noon, the four were ready for a meal.<p>

"Hey, Violet, I found them!" Lily called down below to her sister. At the moment, she was flapping her wings as she hovered by a window to the room that Tor and Rose were in.

"At last," Violet muttered, unknowingly at the same time Rose did so. She lifted her arms, waiting for Lily to pick her up and fly her to wherever the other two were.

After a minute, the two ladies were with their sister and the knight. "Well? Did you two find anything?" Lily asked.

"No," Rose replied. "We haven't even found where the battle took place."

Violet's shoulders slumped. Lily, however, seemed undisturbed by the news. "It's not as if we thought we would find it the first day. Anyways, we dropped off the sample. If he doesn't figure it out by the time we leave, he won't be paid."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Tor asked.

"Not if we want it done. If he doesn't do it, he will not receive the money. We may, on the other hand, buy something while we're there." She grinned wickedly.

"Oh, Lily," Rose sighed, but smiled.

"Why don't we head back, get something to eat, and go to bed early?" Tor suggested. "We can look again tomorrow."

"Should I fly us down?" Lily asked.

"Do you want to carry us down?" Rose inquired. "Wouldn't your arms get tired?"

"I'll be fine, really." Lily picked Violet up and reappeared about two minutes later, this time lifting her elder sister into the air. As she reached down to pick up Tor, she noticed how nervous he looked. "I'm not going to drop you," she teased, grasping his arms.

"I've never flown before," he muttered, gripping her upper arms as she flew through the window.

"Mother didn't like it much when I went flying. She was an Aisha, like my sisters. But my father was a Shoyru. He made me promise to only fly when he was around or when he could fly with me. It was supposed to make my mother feel better."

"Did you do it anyway?" Tor asked.

"Sometimes," she replied, a teasing lilt in her voice.

They touched down, and once Tor got his footing, headed back to Market Town.

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><p>Okay, next month I SWEAR more action will happen! Pinkie swear!<p>

Next update is **September 28th**, which is conveniently my birthday. :D


	6. Chapter 6

Uh, hi. I'm soooo sorry that this is... late. Like, AGES late. -avoids thrown objects- I had a bit of a major writer's block, and then I had college app stuff to worry about, and everything seemed to be against me.

But as it is, at least this chapter is finished before 2012! Please go easy?

Disclaimer applies! Because if I owned Neopets, I would make more video games with storylines.

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><p>Roberta felt horrible. She felt drained, like the time she used too much magic and wandered the castle in a light-headed daze. Slowly, oh so slowly, she pried her eyelids open to be welcomed by an unfamiliar room. A sigh alerted her to a Kougra seated in a chair by her bed. He appeared to be asleep.<p>

Roberta tried remembering what happened. She and Tor were settling down for the night, and she hadn't felt well. They were supposed to go to Werelupe Woods in the morning—"Tor!" she cried, as her brain caught up with her thoughts. "Where is Tor?" she demanded of the Kougra beside her, unknowingly reminding him of another time she awoke.

"My lady!" he exclaimed, waking up with an inelegant snort. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Never mind how I feel!" she snapped irritably. "Where is Tor? Do you even know who he is?"

"The Lupe knight will return tomorrow, my lady. He traveled to Market Town with my sisters to discover an antidote." He looked at her, fear in his eyes.

"An…tidote?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice.

"My lady, you've been poisoned," he explained carefully, sadness in his eyes. "When you were attacked by the Black Knight, you were poisoned," he clarified.

Roberta stared at him in disbelief. How could she have missed that? No wonder her arm felt numb. She couldn't bear to look at it, fearing what seeing the wound would do to her. "Tomorrow, you said?" The Kougra nodded. "Will I live that long?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. Her heartbeat accelerated in fear. What if she would never see Tor again?

How could she die without seeing him one last time? Roberta needed to see him, at least to tell him to continue their quest. He would need to find a replacement for her if… if she didn't make it.

"Don't worry my lady," the Kougra assured her, breaking into her gloomy thoughts. "The poison will not kill you by tomorrow. You have time."

"But you don't know how much," she whispered, her mind dazed.

His face fell, but he nodded. "No. But if you're awake and coherent, my lady, then you must be recovering to some extent."

"What is your name?" she inquired.

"I am Gentian, lord of this house," he replied proudly. He was only sixteen, but he felt that he ran the house efficiently.

"Lord Gentian," she mumbled, thinking about the name and looking at his face. "Were you in Market Town recently?"

"Why, yes, my lady. I was trading there when the purple clouds possessed the town." He paused, and then looked at the tray on the bedside table. "My lady, please eat while I explain what has happened to you as best I can." Gentian set the tray on her lap and uncovered a bowl of broth.

Roberta sipped the broth as she listened to him explain about how his sisters had discovered Tor in the middle of the night about two weeks earlier. Gentian explained that the room they were currently in was not the one she resided the first few nights. That room was his sister Lily's room and this room was a guest room. He told her about his sisters' decision and his discovery of the antidote. "I will leave you in my sisters' care and go to Bogshot with Sir Tormund," he said. "Some of the antidote can be prepared while we are gone."

"Lord Gentian," she whispered, reaching over and taking his paw. "Thank you so much. I will think of a proper reward for you and your family when this is all over." The dull pain in her arm started to throb terribly, causing her to cry out in pain.

He immediately jumped up and took her tray. Gentian grabbed her arm and looked at her wound as her cries turned into screams. The dark magic had flared up, he realized, as he watched it pulsate. It must have reacted to her being awake. The Kougra ran to the door and called for help. He came back inside with a Wocky maid at his heels. The maid snatched a goblet on the bedside and forced the potion down Roberta's throat as Gentian began coating his paws with motes.

As the potion began running through Roberta's system, she felt everything fade away. _A sleeping potion_, she thought, right before she sank into blissful sleep.

"Why is this sword so _heavy_?" Lily complained as she tried hoisting the weapon over her shoulder.

"Perhaps it is because you have been dragging it for the last three hours," Rose replied somewhat sarcastically. Her sister shot her a glare.

"I can carry it again," Tor offered, holding out his paws.

Lily sighed and handed it over; flexing her sore arms once the weight was gone.

"It's really too bad that he couldn't find all of the poison," Violet sighed for the tenth time.

"It just makes our work that much harder," Rose told her, sighing as well. "The good news is the part of the poison he _did_ find can be cured by the baggus plant. I suggest that we start feeding her bagguses." All of them grimaced at the thought of eating baggus-laced food.

"I do not envy her," Lily muttered, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"I just want her to get better," Tor declared, increasing his speed despite the extra sword. The three females looked at each other and also increased their pace.

The four of them were about three miles away from their home. They had found the sword on the fourth day of the week, much to their relief. The rest of the week they waited for the results. Rose and Violet cast many spells over the sword, trying to determine the poison. Tor also spent time at the keep, trying to find the possible antidote. His search came up empty, and the results were not much better. The Kacheek told them that it was much more complex than the work of one week, as he had only managed to determine one ingredient. The two Aishas were grateful nonetheless and Violet paid him some money for his help even though Lily had promised him nothing.

Tor had been in a hurry the entire journey back. He and Lily had shared carrying the sword since the two of them refused to let the Aisha magicians carry something that could incapacitate them. Roberta's face constantly flashed in his mind, calling for him. It bothered him, making him think she was in worse shape than he remembered. All this worrying was getting to him and he spurred on his companions much harder than before.

They reached the door to their house about twenty minutes later, a day earlier than expected, tired but eager to see Gentian and Roberta. Their Gelert butler answered the door. "Welcome home, mistresses! It's good to see you again, sir Knight." He swung the door wider, ushering the party inside. "The lord will be pleased to see you. I will go and tell him you're back."

It wasn't five minutes later before Gentian appeared at the top of the stairs. His lips curled back into a half-hearted smile and he raced down the stairs to greet them. He approached his sisters and gave them each a hug, greeting Tor with a nod. "I have news for you all, good and bad. You're back earlier than I expected."

"We hurried back," Rose told him. "What's wrong?"

Gentian led the way up the stairs. "While the potions do keep the poison in check, it needs to be reapplied daily, otherwise it spreads." His sisters looked horrified, but urged him to continue. "Lady Roberta woke up a few hours ago, fully conscious and responsive. After an hour or so, her wound acted up terribly. I think it's eating her magic."

Tor openly gaped. "Will her magic come back?"

"Yes," Gentian replied, not quite confidently. "The good news is, though, I found an antidote. To be specific, the recipe."

Lily took hold of her brother's arm and whirled him around. "You found it?" she exclaimed. "Where?"

"The library, in one of the books." He pulled out the slip of parchment and showed it to them. "I've been planning the last few days on how I will get the ingredients."

"We can talk about that later," Rose spoke before any of the others. "For now, let's have a look at Lady Roberta and assess the damage."

Gentian pushed open a door a moment later (Lily noticed that it wasn't her door and she was grateful) to reveal their Wocky maid sitting by Roberta's bedside. She looked up and moved towards the corner, quietly letting the nobles and the knight approach the bed.

"Did she wake up just the one time?" Violet asked, speaking for the first time since returning home.

"No, she woke up just one other time but seemed confused and delirious."

"That makes sense," Lily commented as Rose checked Roberta's forehead and then a pulse while Violet inspected the wound.

It was bigger than Tor remembered it, but that made sense because Gentian had said the wound spread before he figured out to reapply the potions. He gazed sadly at his friend, willing her to overcome this poison.

"Her bones seem unaffected, which is a good sign," Violet announced. "The problem is the fact that the wound isn't closing over, making it susceptible to dangers from the air. We ought to cover it."

"Perhaps a smart thing to do would be to start feeding her broth made from baggus plants. That might help more than what we've been doing," Rose told her brother, since the other three already knew.

"I will start right away, my lady," said their maid, curtsying and leaving before anyone told her what to do.

Violet pulled some bandages out of her pack that she still had with her, preparing to bind the wound again. "Now, what is it that you've been planning, Gentian?" she asked.

Gentian sat down. "I have made a copy of the antidote for you so that you three may begin brewing it. I was thinking that the knight here and I could go search Bogshot."

"When were you thinking of leaving?" Lily asked.

"Tomorrow, or the day after to give the knight some time to rest." He glanced over at Tor.

"I can be ready by tomorrow," Tor said eagerly. "The faster we go the sooner Roberta will be healed."

"Tomorrow it is, then." Gentian nodded, standing up and preparing to leave the room. "I will go and get ready now. We'll leave shortly after sunrise."

Tor smiled appreciatively. He decided he would also prepare and relax for the rest of the day. "Thank you, girls. You've done your part."

"Oh, no, Tor. We're not done quite yet," Violet and Rose smiled at him, waving him away while they tended to Roberta.

* * *

><p>Right, so they've come home, Roberta woke up, Tor and Gentian are going to have an adventure all on their own... Whew! At most, this story is going to have six more chapters (remember, I want to submit this to the Neopian Times!). Halfway through, wahh, so amazing.<p>

The next update will hopefully occur on **January 30th**. If not, please forgive me! But I will definitely work hard to make that happen! Until next time everyone!


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